The importance of Instagram for business has increased exponentially. In fact, 1 in 2 people purposefully use Instagram to discover new brands, products, or services. That’s reason enough to read these Instagram post planning tips from our Winter Park social media agency.
When it comes to Instagram post planning, you have to do more than just type up some interesting content for the month. It’s important to know why you’re posting, who is seeing your posts, and when your posts should go live. To do this, you’ll need to establish your goals, complete an Instagram audit, research, and create a calendar. Our Winter Park social media agency digs a little deeper into these steps.
Establish Your Goals
Your Instagram posts should have a bigger purpose than just getting content in front of viewers. What do you want to achieve with your content? Are you hoping to create brand awareness, gain followers, or increase your conversions? What would you like your audience to get from your content? Do you want them to feel emotional, entertained, or informed? Once you know your content’s purpose, you can create specific, measurable goals. Here’s an example: I want to increase conversions by 2% in 1 month. Now, it’s your turn. Write down your content goals for the next three months and you’ll be ready for the next step.
Complete An Instagram Audit
Alright, you know what you want, now how do you get there? Go through your Instagram insights to conduct an audit of your account. You’ll want to find out who is viewing your content, when they are viewing it, where they are viewing it, and which content is getting the results you are looking for. This will tell you how close you are to achieving your goals, and what you need to adjust in order to get there. For example, if your posts on Wednesday at 3:00 PM have the lowest amount of views, then you’ll want to change the day or time to optimize your posting schedule. After your audit, you’ll be ready to start thinking about what kind of content you want to create.
Research
Wait! We know that word can sound dreadful, or the last thing you want to do on your Monday – or Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday – but we promise it’s worth it! Every industry is unique, and followers of each industry are different than others. What our Winter Park social media agency team is trying to say is that a company selling blankets will have different optimal posting times and achievable goals than a concrete company, because the audience types are completely different. If you do a little research, you can find some great insights about your specific industry. Now, look at the word “research” again. Okay, now change the “s” to a dollar sign in your mind. It’s not looking like such a bad word anymore, is it?
Create A Calendar
Now that you have all the insights, put everything together in a monthly content calendar. You can use a posting tool, such as Buffer, to put this together. Okay, it’s time for the fun part. Use images or graphics that will appeal to your target audience and create copy that will relate to them while helping you achieve your goals. For some companies, that is easier said than done. Don’t worry, you can use our 30-Day Instagram Content Calendar to help you get inspired.
Are you feeling better about where to go from here? Or, maybe you’re thinking there aren’t enough Instagram hacks in the world that make you want to try this on your own. There’s no shame in asking for help with your Instagram strategy. In fact, it’s one of the very reasons this Winter Park social media agency was created – so you can focus on the parts of your business that you enjoy, while we take your marketing to the next level. We’ve even got a free 30-minute consultation waiting for you. Let’s reach your goals together.
